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November 27, 2013

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

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A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

Today I am thrilled to be reviewing 'These Broken Stars' for it's blog tour but also to be providing three lucky Aussies with a copy of this beautiful sci-fi debut. These copies including my own have been provided by Allen & Unwin, so a big thanks to them! This competition will be running until the 18th of December and the winner(s) will be contacted 48 hours after the competition comes to an end.

These Broken Stars is the beautifully crafted tale of two opposites thrown into hyperspace after the crash of the Icarus and left stranded in space. Told in dual perspective, this heart pounding debut is not to be missed.

Besides from being two characters with unique names, Lilac and Tarver would never associate with eachother if this was normal circumstances... but it's not. Lilac is the only daughter of a rich and powerful man and has never needed for anything. Whereas the young War hero Tarver Merendsen, knows what 'Loss' feels like. From the beginning as they struggle to tolerate eachother, their dialogue is filled with banter and irritation with one another. But as their surroundings change so do they as the extremely diverse characters that they are.

Lilac has only needed her name to get through and has done this easily enough. She appears at first a little irritating with her somewhat spoilt and rude ways but eventually we see that she isn't all about ball gowns and high heels. I gotta admit and will happily, that she grew on me. We slowly saw her change into this loving, independent, brave and selfless woman. Who I just had so much respect for! On the other end of the spectrum, we have Tarver. Tarver is more equip to these situations and has more knowledge in that department. He whilst objective to Lilac's company is a gentleman and knows how to handle things with the right precision and care. I loved Tarver because he was so caring and real. I really felt like I got such a good understanding of the two characters and their developement really blew me away.

I swear, this book had my emotions on a rampage. My love for Taver and Lilac and their relationship had me acting like a crazy person. I rooted for their relationship but I also willed them to carry on just a little bit longer, or just a little but further. I felt their pain and I heard their cries. I felt their highs and shared their smiles. It was as if their voice was just that clear to me and the dual perspective only helped this. The characterization in this is just simply that good.

The romance was slow-building and delicate. I just loved these moments because they were so swoony and as I like to say, 'I shipped them all the way to the dock'. There was something so strong and precious about their relationship which as a reader was a beautiful thing to read. The love that they had for eachother and just what they were willing to do for eachother was, overwhelmingly beautiful. The absolute feels!

The plot line for These Broken Stars was not one I saw coming. It was in ways one of the things that makes it such a stand out original novel. The storyline was clever, creepy and well thought-out. It was gripping and I wanted to know more. Once I got to a certain point I couldn't stop and that's one the things which made it hardest to put it down. There were plenty of OMG moments and the plot twists kept coming and my heart kept having mini heart-attacks.

One thing I found interesting when reading this, were all the Sci-Fi terms. Now I will honestly admit that I am not a Sci-Fi reader. I've just never been into those sort of things, which is intimidating when reviewing a Sci-Fi book. But while I must admit I was sometimes confused and unaware of what certain terms meant, it worked. It wasn't a Sci-Fi overload for someone like me who doesn't enjoy them but it was also a interesting change.

I was really happy with the ending and I just felt like it was right. But it saddens me to know that it's actually the only Tarver and Lilac story in the trilogy, as the other two will be of two others. I feel so connected to them and I won't forget them. Pick this up and read it because it's beautifully written and an amazing debut for these co-authors.

This book was amazing, I actually just reviewed it on my blog! I liked how Lilac changed into someone that we all loved, and that twist was just...I'm still gobsmacked by it. The slowly built romance was amazing too!

Oh nooo I just wrote a comment but I think I closed the window too fast >< Just gonna say, I loved this book as well especially the romance and character development! Glad the sci-fi didn't overwhelm you too much.

I actually reviewed this book just last week! I find it pretty good though, but not my favorite unfortunately. Its hard for a book to get a full 5 star in raw rating... Thanks for stopping by review for Clockwork Princess! :)

This looks like it's going to be a great read, and i cannot wait.I haven't read many sci fi books lately so i don't know what i would do if i was stranded on a planet, my imagination is lacking today, i hope this planet has friendly beings on it and that they decide they like me and will look after me